Minden Exchange 2009

This year's return visit to the Besselgymnasium took place at the end of the Spring term. A group of twenty boys flew to Bremen and then travelled by coach to Minden, where they were met by their host families. They spent eight days in the German town, which was enjoying surprisingly sunny weather for the time of year.

They divided their time between attending lessons at school and going on excursions. There was the customary official welcome by the Deputy Mayor in the Rathaus, as well as a guided tour of the old town. They also went on a tour of the Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg, which included a journey through the production line of the latest Golf model. The factory is particularly busy this year as it struggles to meet the increased demand caused by generous government subsidies for those willing to recycle their old cars and buy a new model.

The boys had busy weekends with their families. The climax of the time in school was the Germany v. England football match, which saw the English group sadly crushed by their German hosts.  On their way back to Bremen, the boys spent the day in the city and visited its museum. This exchange has been running for over twenty five years and the next group from Germany will come to London in the autumn.